Dude, Am I Alive?

Characteristics of Life Unit

Warm-up
You are an astronaut and on
a mission to mars. Upon
your arrival you find these
strange, small, and round
objects. They remind you of
blueberries on our planet.

On a piece of lined paper,

answer the following
questions:
How could you determine if
these objects are living?
How you do you determine
life?

Characteristics of Life
Vocabulary

Vocabulary
Cell -Smallest unit that can perform all life processes
Reproduction -Process by which living things produce
new organisms like themselves.
Sexual Reproduction -Reproduction needing two parents
Asexual Reproduction -Reproduction needing only one
parent.

Stimulus -A change in an organism's surroundings that

causes an organism to react. They include changes in
temperature, light, sound, and other factors.
Metabolize - to change (food) into a form that can be
used by your body : to process and use (substances
brought into your body) by metabolism

Vocabulary
Response - An action or change in behavior
Development -The process of change that occurs during an
organism's life to produce a more complex organism.
Evolve - to change or develop slowly often into a better, more
complex, or more advanced state : to develop by a process of
evolution
Heredity - the passing of traits to offspring from its parents.
Homeostasis - The maintenance of a constant internal state in a
changing environment.
Organic Molecules - are those that have carbon
atoms. (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, DNA, etc.)

Characteristics of Life
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Are made of Cells

Grow and Develop
Reproduce
Obtain and use energy
Respond to their
environment
6. Made up of organic
molecules
7. Evolve
8. Maintain Homeostasis

Things are made one or more cells

Small self-contained
units
Barrier separates it from
the surrounding area
Collection of living matter
that performs all
functions of life
Many different types of
cells

Things are made one or more cells

Unicellular Organisms
that have only one cell.
Multicellular Organisms
consisting of more than
one cell.

Things grow and develop

A series of stages of growth
Development

Get more complex over time

Age
Death

Living things Reproduce

Reproduction is necessary if
the group of organisms is to
survive.
Living things reproduce.
Each individual, given the
right circumstances, has the
potential to produce a new
individual that resembles its
parent.
Evolutionary
consequences!!!!
Survival of the Fittest

Living things Reproduce

Sexual Reproduction
Requires two cells from
different individuals to produce
the offspring

Asexual Reproduction
Requires only one individual

Budding
Fusion
Splitting

Living Things Obtain and Use Energy

Living things metabolize, that is, they
take in raw materials and convert
them into energy and wastes.
Nutrition
Digestion
Absorption
Excretion/Secretion

Example:
Animals convert glucose and oxygen
into energy and waste products (water
and carbon dioxide) through the
process of respiration.

Living Things Respond to their Environment

Organisms react to
different stimuli
Animal running away
from danger
Plant orienting towards
the sun
Goosebumps

IrritabilityAbility to react to stimuli

Homeostasis Feeling
Alright

Living things are made of organic molecules.

Organic molecules
include proteins,
lipids, carbohydrates
(starches and
sugars),
Nucleic acids (like
DNA and RNA).

Living Things Evolve

Over many generations the traits of
the species will change by natural
selection to better fit the current
environmental conditions.
In other words, living things adapt
to their environment.
All living things inherit traits from
their parents through some type of
genetic material-Heredity

Living things maintain homeostasis.

That means that living things
can maintain their internal
environment relative to
changes in the external
environment.
Our bodies maintain a
constant body temperature
Sweating to cool our bodies
down
Shivering to warm our bodies
up when necessary.